Harassed fliers to move court

A group of 15 Air India fliers are planning to move the consumer court seeking compensation for the delay of a Frankfurt-Mumbai flight on Wednesday.

The complainants were among 200 passengers who were stranded at the Delhi airport for five hours on Wednesday following a four-hour delay at Frankfurt airport. The group comprising city-based plastic manufacturers wants to sue the national carrier against alleged irresponsible behaviour and ill treatment.

“We will be meeting our legal advisors on Monday, since all offices are shut for Diwali celebrations,” said Manish Dedia, joint honorary secretary of the All India Plastic Manufactures Association. “We will not let Air India get away with this.”

On Wednesday, fliers booked on Air India flight AI 120 from Frankfurt to Mumbai with a stopover at Delhi had a nightmarish experience.

The flight took off four hours behind schedule from Frankfurt. After landing in Delhi, passengers were made to wait for another five hours because of “operation glitches” at the airport.

“At Delhi airport, the airline coach dropped us at the wrong terminal. Despite pleading for nearly 45 minutes, no airline official was available for help,” said Abhinav Aga, a passenger who was travelling with his three-year-old daughter.

Passengers alleged that the airline left them without food and water. “Some of the passengers were diabetic and blood pressure patients. They had to consult the doctor after reaching Mumbai,” said Dedia.

The airline spokesperson had said that the delay at Frankfurt was because of a technical snag.

The delay had a cascading effect on the flight's schedule, because when they landed at Delhi ,the crew had finished their permitted amount of duty time.